Signs of someones Daddy
by Banana Flavored Lemonade
Summary: Lorelai runs away to Stars Hollow before she has Rory and meets Luke when Rory is 2 months old. From Rory's first smile to her first boyfirend, he was always there. Some signs he was always her Daddy. Luke/Lorelai/Rory
1. THE FIRST SIGN

**THE FIRST SIGNS**

Lorelai paced back and forth rocking a crying Rory as she had been for the last hour and a half. Lorelai knew the second that she saw him that it was a bad idea to invite Chris to come and see Rory. All he did was upset Lorelai and it was pretty obvious that Rory was more like her mother than Lorelai thought.

**An hour and a half earlier.**

_Lorelai was sitting on the floor of their makeshift apartment/potting shed with a 10 month old Rory playing with a rag doll that she had made for her when she was a newborn. Rory seemed quite content just to lye there while Lorelai made the doll dance before Rory's little face. She knew what was coming and all she could do was smile down at her little angel that seemed to make it al worth while. She hadnt seen him in over a year and now all of a sunden he wanted to see Rory. _

_Lorelai was lost in the bright blue of her daughters eyes until she heard a knock at the door. Lorelai jumped up from the floor and jogged the three metre gap to the door that most certainly would unleash all hell for her emotions. She took a deep breath and released it slowly before she plastered a fake smile on and went to open the door but before she could, she realised that this was Chris that she was fake smiling at, he knew her, most better than anyone so she did all that she could do to make a real smile apear at that moment, she turned around and looked at her little girl looking back at her, gurgling and smiling. _

_Lorelai eventually built up the courage to swing the door open and when she did it all came back, the heartache, the tears, the pain in every aspect that this boy had caused. Chris was standing there looking just as he did the last time that she saw him. He had on a leather jacket and a led zepplin shirt with his bad boy hair do and black jeans, you could just tell by looking at him that he was a heartbreaker. He smiled and went to kiss her cheek but as he did she pulled back, she could not forgive him for what he had done to them. He had abandoned them. Chris looked at her with that hurt puppy dog look, like someone hadnt given him the toy he wanted, in some ways he hadnt. Lorelai was that toy, the toy he always wanted but the only thing he coud really find to play with was her emotions._

"_whats wrong Lor?" Chris kept looking at her with those eyes that she sure as hell could have given in to years before, but not now, now was aboutsomeone else._

"_Today's about Rory, not you and me, you wanted to see her so, there she is." Lorelai pointed at Rory, lying on the floor still looking at her mother but no smile was there anymore._

_Chris stare on with a disbelieving look on his face, like he couldn't believe that she was actually there, his daughter, his flesh and blood was lying on the floor. Close enough to touch. Chris slowly made his way over to her and bent downand rubbed his large hand over her onesie covered stomach. With this touch he was a gonner, lost on this little angel. Rory on the other hand was a different story, her face screwed up into a little disfigured mess as she turned beet red and began to scream bloody murder. Lorelai wanted no more than to run to her and yank her away from chris but she had told herself that Chris could deal with her while he was here and she would just mediate. _

_When Chris saw Rory and heard her, he looked up at Lorelai and begged her with his eyes to help him but she just glanced a Rory and then back at him, her look saying "you made this mess, you clean it up."_

_Chris scooped Rory up and put her head on his shoulder and started to pace, slowly bouncing herand cooing to her but it only seemed to make matters worse. He spent roughly five minutes doing this until her told her "Daddy's here, see your okay."_

_This seemed to really rile Rory up as she screamed harder and tears sprung to her eyes. Chris heard this and pulled Rory away from his body and looked at her. When he saw that her eyes were closed and she wa still screaming her quickly handed her to Lorelai and ran as fast as he could away from thet 'Noise' as he called it._

_Loreai took Rory into her arms and started bouncing her and making calming noises but nothing helped. Lorelai needed help and she could only think of one person she wanted to talk to. She knew he probaly didn't want to have a screaming baby around his workplace but SHE needed him._

**Present**

Lorelai continued to pace and rock Rory nut it still did nothing, she had been in Luke's apartment for an hour now and he said that if all else failed that he would come up and make Rory a bottle and he still hadnt, Luke had been amasing with Rory for the couple of months that Lorelai had known him and was one of the few people other than Mia and the new chief at the inn, Sookie who she trusted Rory with. She had only left her with Luke a couple times for about an hour each but the baby seemed to like him so it all worked out in the end.

Luke came bounding up the stairs and into his apartment with the supplies that he had, had to go get to make this bottle. He had tried to make it in the diner but couldn't understand the formula to water ratio instructions on the tin of formula he bought. He looked at Lorelai like he was lost so she just asked him if he could hold Rory while she made the bottle up. Luke quickly put down the supplies on the table and put his hands out for the baby. He looked down at Rory and his heart broke when he saw her face all contorted and her eyes clamped shut as they were. He quickly brout her head to rest on his shoulder and rocked her, Rory soon quieted when she felt the comforting feel of flannel on her face. Luke could still hear whimpers coming from her so he patted her back and started talking to her, he had heard from the doctor Liz went to with Jess that it was always comfoting for Baby's just to hear voices. So luke just told her about what he knew, the diner.

"you see.." Luke began, " when you own a bussiness you nee to have responsible employes so that's why when I interview someone, I don't just interview them about their past jobs but their personality too.." Luke now had Rory down to hiccups so he turned to a seat and sat down, he lay he on his legs and started rubbing her stomach to relieve her of them. When Lorelai heard her baby stop cring she was shocked because it was just aftr Luke had started talking and when she or Chris were talking it only seemed that Rory got more upset.

As Luke rubbed her stomach Rory looked up at him with those big blue eyes and smiled as he made faces at her. When Rory's hiccups were gone he started tickling her stomach which made her wiggle around and giggle. Luke was a gonner a long time ago, probably the first time he saw her being carried in by her mum. Now all he could do was smile and laugh along, he had never really been one for kids but this one was it, she was the turning point so he thought but then he saw another baby and was right around the roundabout until he saw her again.

When Lorelai heard Rory laughing she looked up from her bottle making and was shocked to see Cool Hand Luke (as she called him) laughing along with the baby and tickling her. Lorelai abandoned her bottle making and wen over to them and smiled with everything she had. A minute later she felt something erupt in her, what was it? Was it lust or nausea? NO! she realised it was love, she Loved this man. No one had been able to make her baby laugh like that exept her. It was something that she would smile at someone else but to stop crying and laugh with this man, that was something incredible. She realised that THAT! Was the first sign of Fatherhood and obviously her baby wanted a daddy. It was the first sign.


	2. THE SECOND SIGN

**THE SECOND SIGN**

It amased Lorelai each time she heard Rory say it but she had, she had just spoken her first word, "Mama".

She laughed as she bounced a 12 month old Rory on her knee and watched her clap and smile as she giggled out "Mama" every couple of minutes making Lorelai smile wider and laugh harder at her daughters gleeful look.

"So should we go to Lukes for dinner? Say Mama if you want to." Lorelai said as she smiled down at Rory and nodded her head once as if egging Rory on.

Rory took one look at her mum and smiled and said, "Mama". When Lorelai smiled and laughed Rory clapped her little chubby hands.

Lorelai put Rory's coat on her and walked through the inn with Rory's chubby hands clamped in hers as she tried to walk, having grown a very large and in your face kind of personality over her life so far, she was determined to learn this and Lorelai knew that she would be able to do it soon as she was persistant and could master anything.

When Lorelai and Rory reached the foyer of the Inn they spotted Mia and she obviously spotted them as she came running towards them and scooped Rory up and spun around with her in her arms. Rory giggled with glee but still kept a firm grip on Mia.

When they stopped spinning Lorelai walked over to Rory and said, "Rory." And poked her chest and then when she was sure she had Rory's attention, she poked her own chest and gave Rory a questioning look.

Mia looked at Lorelai and gave her a confused look but Lorelai just put up one finger signaling for Mia to wait and then Lorelai poked her chest once more and waited for Rory. After repeating this twice more she was about to give up when she just smiled at Rory and Rory just smiled back and reached out her arms signaling that she wanted to be held by Lorelai. Lorelai just ignored her, meaningfullt of course until Rory started to get upset and whined out, "Mama."

Mia just smiled and passed Rory over to her mum and laughed as she clapped and bounced in her mothers arms.

This reaction was earned may more times before they eventually reached Lukes, just in time fore the lunch rush.

As they walked in Rory had still been trying to walk on her own but when they saw the rush Lorelai quickly scooped her up and carried he rin, over to the counter. Luke looked up from the counter and smiled at his two favourite girls. When he saw Rory fussing he cleared off a table and ignored the other customers that had been waiting and brought Rory's highchair over to the table and put her in it.

Many of the Stars Hollow citizens had heard the news about Rory's first word so they came up to Lorelai's table and congratulated Rory on herr great achievement. Patty, Babette, Kirk and eastside tilly had just gone back to waiting quietly talking about a metre away from Lorelai and Rory's table when Luke came back over with and order pad to take their orders, Luke and Lorelai had just become engrosed in a conversation about how coffee would kill her and how she should not drink it around Rory because she was a bad influence when Rory started to move her mouth meaningfully. No one noticed as she sat there staring up at Luke trying to form a word. All of a sudden it came out, "Dada". Unfortunately the diner was too loud and Luke didn't flinch from his conversation with Lorelai until there was a slight break in the madness and the diner quieted, although Rory was determined to get his attention and didn't realise this. All of a sudden everyone was shocked when they heard "DADA" screached from Rory. Luke and Lorelai, as well as everyone elses heads snapped to the noise and saw Rory staring up at Luke.

When Rory saw she had Luke's attentiong she started clapping her hands and then repeated herself, "Dada". This time she reached her arms up to Luke. All Luke could do was look from Lorelai's shocked face to one of a pleased one year old. When Rory started becoming impatient she screamed once again, "DADA". Rory thrust her hands higher into the air towards Luke and leaned in his direction, jumping as she did. Luke looked back at Lorelai who shrugged her shoulders at him, clueless as to what to do Luke reached down and picked up the little girl. As he looked at her smiling, on looked all of the gossipers of the town.

Rory grabbed onto the bill of Luke's cap and put it on her head, just as Luke wore it. Rory now coppied her mother from earlier that day and poked herself in the stomach but instead of saying 'Rory' she said something that made the whole town laugh, she said "Dada".

Rory refused to let Luke put her down the entire day so he had to work with her on his hip and sit her on his knee to feed her. Lorelai looked on amased that he hadnt reacted badly and blown up or run away and left her to deal with a crying child. No he had accepted it. She watched as Rory ate with Luke and wore his cap that she wouldn't take off all day.

It was six o'clock and way past Rory's bed time when she finally fell asleep in Lukes arms, they tried to transfer her from Lukes arms to Lorelai's when she realised what time it was but as soon as Rory was in Lorelai's arms she began to fuss and when she opened her eyes and saw that she wasn't in her 'Dada's' arms she started crying and they immediately tranfered her back. When Rory looked up and saw Luke she mutterd a quick "Dada" before drifting back. Lorelai quickly decided that Luke needed to take home and tuck her in as she would wake up if Lorelai tried to take her.

Lorelai lead Luke to the potting shed and started to feel a bit embarassed that she couldn't find a propper home for her and her daughter but Luke didn't seem to notice where they were, he was too busy checking that Rory was still asleep every two seconds. When they got inside Luke ws lead over to Rory's cot by Lorelai and when he placed her in it he took his cap off of her that he hdnt been able to remove all day and tucked her in, only getting a stir out of her when he kissed her forhead softly.

Lorelai looked on that night, with the same love in her heart that she had felt for this man for the last two months. This man was the father that she had always wanted for Rory, No! she realised that he was the Daddy she wanted for Rory. A father is someone that helps with the making of the baby and Rory had one of those but now she needed a Daddy. Lorelai realised in that moment that Rory HAD a daddy, he was the man that bathed her if she got sticky during breakfast and looked after her if Mia and Sookie were busy while her mother worked. He was the man she called "Dada"

That was the sign THAT! Was the isgn that her baby HAD a daddy. That was the second sign!


	3. THE THIRD SIGN

**THE THIRS SIGN**

**(okay, excuse me but I am going to throw GG on it's head for this chapter but I really wanted to write this, it is very, very relative to my life. It is like what happened to me when I was little just not this way.) R&R **

It had been one of the best days for Rory, she was now 2 and a half and had just finished her first week of preschool. Next week would be a big gathering at her school and now she had to go tell her Daddy. As she looked around for her Mummy she saw her waiting with open arms and one hand filled with a Luke's to-go cup of coffee and the other empty ready to receive Rory's backpack, as per usual.

Rory boundeed down the stairs and tripped but was caught by Lorelai just as she started to fall. When she was safely in Lorelai's arms she just looked up at her mummy, still in shock till slowly a smile took her face and she started to laugh at the hilarity of the situation. Lorelai slowly lowered Rory to be standing on her feet and looked down at her daughters puppy dog eyes. She was always a gonner when Rory used her 'Rory eyes' as she caled them, Lorelai knew what she wanted, it was the same thing she wanted every day, to go to Lukes.

"Mummy please." Rory begged, dragging the words out to make her point about how much she wanted to go. Lorelai was quick to give in and nodded. They crossed the road holding hands, even though there was almost never any traffic Lorelai insisted that it still wasn't safe for Rory to be crossing on her own. When they were safely across the road Rory detached herself from Lorelai and set off running towards the diner. Lorelai let her go, knowing that the town would look out for her and that it was safe as long as there were no roads that needed crossing.

Rory turned the corner and ran up the steps and throught the open door. Kirk greeted her and explained to her that as part of his boy scout leader training he had to service the community so he would open the diner door to women all day. When Rory was finished listening to him she looked up, just in time to see Luke come out of the kitchen and scream, "Order up" at their newest waitress Tom.

Tom was a mid aged man that always said that, quote: "You gotta start somewhere".

Rory instantly set off in a sprint towards Luke, screaming "Daddy" as she went. When she reached Luke she latched herself onto his legs. Luke bent down pulled her off of his legs, set to scold her for coming back here and calling him that, Lorelai and him had been trying to get Rory to stop calling him that as Lorelai was sure it would all blow up if Chris came to visit again and heard her call Luke that.

"Rory, you can't be back here and you need to stop calling me Daddy. I am Luke. Okay?"

Rory looked up at him and gave him the 'Rory eyes' and retorted, "But you are my Daddy, daddy." Luke just looked at her and pointed the way out of the kitchen. Rory looked around her and giggled as she shuffled out of the kitchen, she knew she wasn't allowed behind the counter, let alone in the kitchen. Luke was too busy watching her smile that he didn't notice as she shuffled backwards right into Tom who was looking over an order with a frsh, steaming hot pot of coffee in his hand. The second Luke noticed it all seemed to go in slow motion he saw the pot leave Tom's hand as Rory backed righ into him and saw it bounce off of its metal bottom and splash boiling hot coffee all over Rory's chest and stomach.

Rory was in sheer shock and didn't notice Lorelai enter the diner. As Rory was behind the counter Lorelai couldn't see her coffee covered singlet and just thought that Luke had the horrified look on his face because Tom had broken one of his new coffee jugs. It wasn't until Luke ran to a still too shocked to scream Rory and scooped her up and ran to his apartment that Lorelai panicked.

When Lorelai entered Lukes apartmen hot on his heels she expected him to be sitting Rory down and pluck glass out of her clothes and not run to the shower and put her in fully clothed.

When Luke began to undress Rory she screamed out in pain. The act of removing the clothes that had been stuck to her melted skin had also removed the skin. The second Lorelai heard that scream she panicked and from there it was all a blur.

The next thing she knew Rory was lying on an ambulance gurney with cling wrap covering her stomach and arm and blood underneath. Rory looked up at Lorelai with her little face mostly covered in an oxygen mask and tears streaking her face. In the distance, over the sound of the sirens that were blaring on top of the ambulance Lorelai could hear the rumble of Lukes truck going way over it's usual speed. Lorelai knew he cared, she knew he loved them but she also knew that she had to tell someone else, she had to tell Rory's father. The second they arrived at the hospital Rory was taken into emergency and admitted through there, next she was taken up to the burns unit and treated by no other than the renoun Dr. Rebecca Sparkes.

The Dr. told Lorelai that she would have to wait outsie while they they did the initial scrub down to remove the dead skin as not to alow infection. Lorelai sat outside of the room and listened for roughly five minutes to the screams of pain emmited by her little girl until she couldn't take it any more and walked down the hall towards the front desk, near the door that lead outside. Just as Lorelai was approaching the desk she pulled out her cell phone and was readying herself to make this call but was stopped when she heard Luke at the desk, screaming.

"That's my daughter in there, c'mon ask me anything, I know her better than anyone. She is mine, you know what she calls me? She calls me Daddy. She wants me to be her Daddy and I want her to be my daughter, its not like I'm some kind of pedophile. I want to see my daughter."

Before they came into view she heard the nurse, Sarah say, "I'm sorry sir but we have down here that the father of Lorelai Leigh Gilmore is a Mr. Christopher Hayden. Now unless you can produce some evidence that you are this Mr. Hayden in the next thirty seconds I am sorry but I am going to have to get you escorted out. SECURITY!"

When Lorelai heard the word security hollered she broke out into a jog and ran to the desk and stood next to Luke, just as the first security guard grabbed Luke's hand she said, "no, wait, he's with me, I'm Lorelai Gilmore, Lorelai Gilmore's mother."

With that the security guard released Luke and Lorelai lead him outside, having to beg him not to run to Rory as they heard her scream, "DADDY" many times. It broke Lorelai's heart to hear her daughter like that but she knew there was nother\ing she could do but to leave it to the doctors.

Lorelai and Luke made their way outside and when they did and the warm breeze hit Lorelai's face there was nothing she could do to contain it any more, she fell into Luke's arms and cried. She leant on him crying for what felt like hours but was only minutes. She sank down to the ground as another round of sobs racked her body. When she looked up into Lukes eyes she was shocked to see him crying too, silently none the less but still crying.

When Luke saw her looking at him, he told her what had been guilting him this whole afternoon, "it's al my fault, I yelled at her about calling me Daddy and being in the kitchen and I wasn't watching around her when she was leaving, it's all my fault Lorelai, I burnt our daughter."

Lorelai looked up at Luke and more tears left her eyes. "no it's not, I should have been watching her, I shouldn't have let her run into the diner on her own."

Luke and Lorelai sat there, wollowing in self pitty until they were startled out of it by the shrill ringing of her cell phone. Lorelai wiped away her tears and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Miss Lorelai Gilmore?" Nurse Sarah asked.

"Yes, this is she. Is it Rory, can we see her?" Lorelai asked excitedly.

"No, miss we just called because the burns are much worse than you would expect from water and we need to take her into immediate surgery to grapht these burns."The nurse informed her.

"Um, okay, can we see her before she goes in?" Lorelai asked, upset again.

"miss I think it would be better if you didn't, sh has just calmed down and is sort of out of it." The line went silent for a little while before the nurse spoke again, "however she has been asking for her daddy would he like to speak to her?"

"Umm… yeah, sure if that's what she wants, put her on."

There was a ruffling sound and some white noise and then came the drowsy voice of Rory.

"Daddy?" Rory asked

"no baby it's mummy. Are you okay?" Lorelai asked, well aware that Rory was far from okay but she wanted to know how she felt.

"Mummy it hurts, I want Daddy." Lorelai could hear Rory crying and immediately passed the phone to Luke.

"Hey baby, how are you?" Luke asked.

"Daddy. I love you. Are you mad at me?" Rory asked with a shakey voice.

"Mad at you for what Baby?" Luke knew what but he wanted to hear her say it.

"For breaking your new coffee pot."

"No baby, you just go get better and when you wake up me and mummy will be there waiting for you okay."

"okay. Love you daddy."

"Love you too baby. See you soon." And with that the line went dead.

Luke and Lorelai just sat in silence for a couple of minutes until Lorelai broke the silence, "I need to call Christopher."

With that she grabbed her cell phone out of Lukes hand where it had been resting and walked away to call Chris. When the call was done Luke and Lorelai walked back in and were lead by nurse Sarah to the room Rory would be moved to when she got out and that is where they sat for the next two hours. Just waiting for their perfect little girl to be brought.

Three hours later Chris came running full speed down the hallway but stopped dead in his tracks Lorelai, who he thought was His Lorelai was asleep in this other man's lap. Chris marched right up to Luke and began to shout, "Where is she? I want to se my daughter. I want to see her NOW!"

Luke looked up at this man and lifted Lorelai from his lap and placed her in the seat next to him and covered her with his jacket. When he was done making her comfortable Luke strode meaningfully up to Chris and said what was on his mind, "Shut up you fool, you see these?..." Luke pointed to the dried up tear trails on Lorelai's cheeks . "She cried herself to sleep, she is exhausted and if you wake her and upset her, so help my god, I will make you sorry so take a seat and shut up."

Chris took one last look at Luke and went to sit next to Lorelai. When he saw her still asleep he went to pick her up but when he saw the look on Luke's face he quickly sat back down. Luke was just picking Lorelai up when he saw Rory's bed being wheeled towards her room. Luke went to work immediately waking Lorelai . when he finally roused her they walked into Rory's room. They all looked down upon Rory's sleeping figure no one felt as guilty as Luke and as a result of this he began to cry silent tears. Lorelai realised and began to comfort him. When Chris noticed he became enraged, 'why is she comforting him, he's an ass, he just wants sex out of her, this'll never work it's just an act.' Chris thought to himself but instead said, "c'mon, really Lor? This guy's just faking it, he only wants you to think he cares so he can get in your pants."

Luke and Lorelai both snapped around to look at Chris, anger on both of their faces. Luke was the first to snap, "I was there you idiot, I saw it happen and I took care of her and where were you? Ha? Probablyfooling around with some bimbo. She doesn't deserve you, she deserves the world." Luke was down to screaming by the end of it and would have been beatign the shit out of Chris if Lorelai hadn't stepped inbetween them at that moment.

"you two need to lower your voice, Rory doesn't need this right now, she is vaery f….." they were brought out of their reviens when they heard a little voice mumble

"Mummy?" it was Rory waking up. She had heard her parents voices and one she didn't know.

Lorelai ran to Rory's side and grabbed a hold of her hand. "hey Baby, how do you feel?"

"It hurts mummy. Wheres daddy?"

Chris and Luke went to ealk up to Rory at the same time but Chris spoke first, "I'm right here gorgeous, Daddy's here it'll all be okay now."

Rory looked at him, confused and Chris took it as the drugs they had her on confusing her. Chris reached a hand down and started to rub over her hyperfix and blanket covered stomach and thought that Rory was just happy to see him when she took in a sharp breath and began to have tears well in her eyes.

Rory started to sod and then screamed as Chris's hand rubbed over her stomach again, "DADDY! HELP!"

Luke ran to Rory's bed side and ripped Chris's hand away from Rory's stomach and pulled back the blanket and started to blow on the hyperfix covering her stomach, Rory's cries turned to sobs and soon she was calm again and staring at Luke lovingly.

"Daddy, who is he?" Rory asked as she looked at Chris.

Chris stepped forward and started talking to her confused as to why she didn't know him. "Honey I'm your daddy."

Rory shook her head and looked at Luke "No Daddy's my Daddy."

Chris looked from Luke to Rory and then finally to Lorelai and asked in desperation, "Why is she calling him Daddy?"

Lorelai ushered Chris out into the hall and began to explain it all while Luke rubbed Rory's small hand as he held it in his larger one.

Rory looked up at Luke with tears in her eyes and asked, "Can you come and lye down with me Daddy?"

Luke got up and carefully lifted Rory from the bed, careful to ind the two small burns on her arm and the large one all over her stomach as he climbed onto the bed and placed her in his lap. "Anything else Baby?" Luke asked, ready to do anything to get his angel feeling better.

"Can we read?"

"I don't think there is much to read here gorgeous."

"We could read that, couldn't we?" Rory asked with hopeful eyes as she looked at and pointed at the small brochure given to Lorelai on Burns victims that sat on the bedside table next to her.

"Sure you want me to read you that? It might scare you." Luke asked

"yeah, I'm sure.I won't get scared I have you." Rory said as she cuddled further into his arms.

"Okay then" Luke replied as he began to read.

OUTSIDE

Lorelai and Chris were well into their argument by now.

"But I was busy Lor, you said not to come back until I was ready to be a dad and so that'swhat I was doing and then you just call me up and say that our dauhters in the hospital because she was burnt. How do you expect me to react to that? Just be okay with it and not want to help and be here? And then she calls HIM Daddy, Lore that's my name to her, I shouldn't be the man she doesn't know, ii should be the one she cries for." Chris lashed out at Lorelai with all of his pent up resentment for her.

"Well that's your fault Chris, you abandoned me when I was pregnant, you were the one that said that you couldn't do it. And you know why she calls him Daddy? It's because he hd been there for everything, he is the one that calmed her down when she cried or carried her around all day because she wanted him to. He's the one that was HERE and never anywhere else. Another thing. HE REMEMBERS HER BIRTHDAYS!"

Chris took one last look at Lorelai and then retorted with, "Well if that's what she wants then Fine!". With that he stormed off down the hall and out of the double doors. She knew that he wasn't coming back and she truly didn't care, they didn't need him. They only needed Luke.

Lorelai wiped away her tears and walked back to the doorway that lead to her family just in time to hear Rory ask Luke something that she knew was coming the whole time….

"Daddy, will you come to 'me and my Daddy day' at kindergarten next week?" Rory asked this as she drifted off to sleep.

"Anthing for you my Angel. Anything." Luke kissed her head one more time and let her drift off in is arms.

As Lorelai watched from the doorway she couldn't help but smile at her ittle firl, she was determined, Lorelai knew Rory would ask Luke the second she read about it in the newsletter. Even after everything she still got to ask him. Lorelai felt that love agin, bubbling in her stomach and right to the surface. This was a sign that her daughter had her Daddy hooked. It was the third sign.


	4. THE FOURTH SIGN

**THE FOURTH SIGN**

_Luke stood in a long white hallway with pictures of stalks carrying pink and blue bundled up baby's blankets. As Luke stood there he had a feeling deep down in his stomach that he needed to be somewhere, somewhere important and he knew that by standing there he wasn't where he needed to be._

_Luke stepped one big, steel toe capped boot in front of his other and et off, it was like after that first step it seemed like from there he had no control over where he was going. He knew it sounded insane but it was as if he was being dragged around by someone. He knew who it was, he always knew who it was, this dream was a regular occurance in his mind. He often dreamt about her, from the first day that he had met her, sometimes they were of him and her on a date, sometimes it was of them just doing the grocery shopping but this was the most regular one. _

_Usually he would walk down the long hall and into a small white room with the same stalk pictures as the hallway had, he would be greeted by a smiling Lorelai holding Rory, bundled up in a baby pink blanket. All covered in the baby goo that they came out covered in. Luke didn't know what it was called but he didn't need to. It was all about Rory in that moment when he saw them. A nurse would come up to him and ask him to sign a birth certificate for one 'Lorelai Leigh Danes._

_This time however he was greeted by a grim looking Lorelai, rocking on the bed clutching a messily wrapped blue baby. When the nurse approached Luke he was not presented with a birth certificate. No this time he was to be the one to sign a death certificate for one 'Lorelai Leigh Hayden'._

_Luke approached Lorelai completely intent on looking at the baby to check if it was in fact Rory, he was so horrified with the thought of his little girl not being alive that he was in denial. He thought that the surname meant that it was a different baby but when he got close to Lorelai she pulled Rory further out of his reach and began to yell at him that it was all his fault, that he shouldn't have given her the coffee that first day when they met and she begged him. Luke went on to explain to her that he hadn't known her when she was pregnant with Rory. _

_Once again Luke walked up to Lorelai to take a look at the baby but she pulled further away again and started to yell hateful things at him, he could deal with her calling him a low life that deserved nothing more than to rot in his bachelor lifestyle all alone and as he was but what really got him was when she yelled three sentences at him, "SHE'S MINE! MINE AND CHRISTOPHER'S! SHE'LL NEVER BE YOURS!"_

Luke woke with a start, panting and sweating, he knew that Lorelai considered him Rory's father, she always said that Chris was just the man that provided the primordial ooze that helped to create Rory. She said that a father was the person that created a baby but it took someone who was there and always caring to be a dad or as Rory called him 'Daddy'. That person had to be there always and raise said baby.

As Luke sat there panting and sweating, he knew he had to see her, this was the first time that this particular dream had ever changed, usually it was sweet and innocent but this time it was the complete opposite. This was like he said, usually a dream but this time it was a nightmare.

Luke jumped up and out of bed, he ran to his closet and stripped himself of his sweat drenched tee and put on a new and in this case more importantly in this case dry one. Once he was satisfied with the fit of his clean shirt he left his apartment, not even caring that he was still in his pajama sweats. When he got to his truck he immediately switched the radio on and drove in a silent worry. Twenty minutes later he pulled up in the Independence Inn parking lot. Totally uncaring of the time he marched straight through the Inn, startling all the employees and earning a few, "you can't go in there" calls when he walked for the kitchen.

When he reached the potting shed he walked straight up to the door and began to knock loudly and insistently, usually he would be careful to knock lightly as if not to wake Rory but he didn't care tonight, he wanted her to be awake when he went in there, when Lorelai answered she had her handbag sitting on her shoulder. Lorelai walked right up to him and handed him a damp towel.

"Dunno how you knew but I need you to stay with Rory while I run to the pharmacy, change her nappy if she needs it, feed her if she's hungry and clean up if she throws up anywhere but in the toilet or the bucket. Please try and get her to sleep a little, she's been up for the last twenty-four hours straight." Lorelai walked a little further away before she said the next part. "oh and by the way I'm borrowing your truck!"

Luke just stood there for a while, stunned at how he had come at just the right time. Luke was soon brought out of his silent thoughts by a small cry coming from within the shed. Luke walked towards the noise and found Rory standing up in her cot, clad in only a nappy. Her scar was quite obvious, stretching from her chest right down to just above the edge of her nappy.

Rory put up her arms signaling that she wanted to be picked up and cuddled. This simple act would for some parents or in Luke's case, make shift parents be a burden but for Luke and Lorelai it was a blessing in disguise. It was Rory's way of saying 'I love you and I trust you' in actions. It seems that she picked up Luke's actions speak louder than words attitude. Since the incident with Chris at the hospital she had been very reserved and stuck to strictly only letting Luke and Lorelai pick her up. If anyone else touched her she would kick and scream as if she was being physically hurt.

Luke remembered the time Emily tried to pick Rory up when Lorelai, Rory and himself got made to go to dinner at their house.

_Of course the minute Christopher left the hospital he rang his parents to whine about how his daughter had replaced him. Soon it had made it's way all the way down the social grapevine that Rory Gilmore had been burnt and when it reached Emily and Richard Gilmore's eager ears they were shocked beyond belief that Lorelai would not inform them of such a horrible occurrence Emily got straight on the phone and demanded that Lorelai bring Rory down for dinner at their house._

_Lorelai said that they refused to go unless Luke came too. So now at 6:04 pm on a Friday night that is where they stood. On the Gilmore's doorstep. Lorelai was a bit confused when she saw that their was an extra car in the driveway and hoped that her parents had bought a new car. A very sleepy Rory turned to Lorelai and asked, "mummy where are we?"_

"_Well baby, were at your Grandparents house." Lorelai informed Rory, she just hoped that she didn't ask any more questions. Lorelai's bubble was soon after broken as Rory oened her mouth again._

"_Mummy what are my Grand-rents?" Rory answered with a confused look on her face. Lorelai took note in the slight loss of confidence in her daughters voice as she said 'Grandparents' which came out, 'Grand-rents'._

"_Well, you see that is what you call my parents." Lorelai answered. She was quickly tiring of this conversation but needed it to continue so she could say what had been burning a hole in her heart since she spoke to her parents on the phone._

_Rory saw the look on her mothers face and knew something was wrong so she asked, "Mummy, what's wrong?"_

"_Oh, baby I'm just a bit upset at the moment." Lorelai answered. This statement caused Luke to give her a concerned look._

"_what's wrong?" Luke asked._

"_Well you see, I need you two to do me a favor." Lorelai knelt down to be eye level with Rory. "Baby, can you do me a favor?"_

"_Yes Mummy." Rory replied with certainty._

"_Okay" Lorelai looked up at Luke before she continued, "I need you to stop calling Luke Daddy for just tonight okay. Do you remember the man from the hospital?" Lorelai asked Rory. She was uncertain how she would respond to this. Rory responded just how she always did, she lifted her arms up for Luke to pick her up. When she was securely in Luke's arms she took one arm away from around his neck and wrapped it around her stomach. _

_Rory just nodded against Lukes shoulder and Lorelai continued. "Well you see that is your Daddy. Your real Daddy. We made you with lots of love and then after a long, long time a magic person brought you us. You see my mummy and daddy don't like it when you don't call the man that helps the mummy make the baby, daddy."_

_Rory looked at Luke and then at Lorelai and asked confusedly, "But if a daddy is supposed to love the mummy to make the baby then why doesn't he love you anymore like Daddy does?"_

"_Ummm…." Lorelai was lost and didn't have an answer for her daughter. _

_Just when Lorelai was about to come up with an excuse Luke jumped in, "Okay, you see sometimes when a baby is made the mummy and the daddy love each other very much but then they love other people."_

"_Does Mummy love you Daddy?" Rory asked._

_Lorelai stuttered when Luke looked at her but then slowly the stutter turned into a small smile as she replied, "Yes Baby, I do love your Daddy."_

_Rory looked confused now, "Do you mean my Luke Daddy or my man Daddy?"_

"_I mean your Luke daddy, Baby." Lorelai replied smiling at Rory and then turning to Luke and smiling at him even brighter._

_Lorelai turned and walked up right next to Rory so that she was eye level with her and made sure that Rory was looking her in the eyes before she began, "Okay, can you please do me a __favour__ while were here?__" Lorelai asked her daughter, She could see the smile on Rory's lips spread to her eyes at the new certain knowledge that her mum loved her dad._

"_Yeah Mummy, what is it?" Rory asked._

"_Well baby, can you pleas call your Luke Daddy, just Luke tonight?" at Rory's fallen face Lorelai continued, trying to get Rory to understand. "You need to because your grandparents don't like it when you call someone Daddy when their not your REAL Daddy." Lorelai emphasised the word 'real' so that Rory understood that Luke wasn't her real Daddy but just her Luke daddy._

_Rory kept her head on Luke's shoulder as she looked at Lorelai and answered with, "But Mummy, Daddy is my Daddy." This line had become somewhat Rory's mission statement. Every time someone voiced their opinion about Luke being called Rory's Dad._

"_Yeah, I know baby but just for tonight, Please." Lorelai was down to pleading with Rory._

_Luke just saw Lorelai's face and knew he had to put his foot in and help her. "c'mon Baby, we can play a game, 'who can stop for longer'."_

_Rory just looked at Luke confused, "What do you do in that game?"_

"_You see, you have to stop calling the other person the thing you usually call them. I can't call you baby and you can't call me daddy." Luke explained. _

"_Okay, can Mummy play too?" Rory asked hopefully._

"_No, this is just a daddy and Rory game." Luke said._

"_Okay, well when do we start Daddy?" Rory asked, fully ready to play this game, to tell the truth she seemed kind of excited._

_Luke looked down at his watch, pretending to be procrastinating about when they should start but immediately snapped his head up and said, "NOW!"_

_Lorelai spun on her heels and faced the big hardwood door that was surely the doorway to hell. Lorelai took in a sharp breath and reached her hand out and rang the doorbell. The chime echoed all through the house and Lorelai knew when it had hit the newest maid's ears because she heard the rushed walk towards the door from the porch. When the door was flung open, there stood the newest maid, it was a heavy set woman that introduced herself as Gretta._

_Lorelai looked back at Luke who still held Rory and told him in a look that for the sake of all of them he needed to put her down. Luke tried to put Rory down but she simply clung to his neck and when he tried to plant her feet on the ground she tucked them up under her bum._

_It was obvious to Lorelai that she was feeling nervous about going into a strangers house. Lorelai took off her coat and handed it off to Gretta and then reached over and took Rory from Luke. When she turned and walked into the house with Luke hot on her heels and Rory in her arms she knew it was going to be a long and tiring night, Rory wasn't very heavy but Lorelai knew that holding her all night would take its toll. As they advanced towards the lounge room Lorelai's parents came into view, along with not only one but two familiar people. Lorelai knew that this day would come, she just didn't expect it to be so soon._

_Francine and Straub sat with perfect posture and clothes that looked as if they had not sat at all, perfectly un-creased. As Lorelai and Luke walked in each set of eyes in the room turned on them and Lorelai instantly felt like she was the sixteen year old who sat at the top of the stairs and listened to them all go on and on about how her being pregnant was all just a bug mistake and how they could 'fix' it._

_Lorelai instantly tightened her arms around Rory and gave a weary look to Luke. When they reached the center of the room she dished out greetings. She figured that if she sounded bitter than maybe they would realize just how much they had hurt her._

"_Mum, Dad, Straub, Francine." Lorelai recited with a stiff tone. _

_Each gave a courtesy, "Lorelai" and then each set of eyes fell on Rory and then Luke._

_Everyone looked at each other and then back at Luke, word of Rory's accident had spread all through society and with it went the man that witnessed the accident._

_Lorelai cleared her throat and when she was sure she had all eyes on her she spoke, "This is Luke.." Lorelai laid one hand on Luke's shoulder while her other sat underneath Rory's bottom, next she slightly lifted Rory and continued, "and THIS is Rory." Rory still kept her head low on Lorelai's shoulder. _

_Straub spoke next, "well, are you going to put the child own so we can see her or are you just going to stand there and look at us like were some kind of fiends?"_

_Lorelai looked around cautiously before trying to detach Rory from herself. It went badly as Rory clung harder to Lorelai and did the same thing she had done earlier when Luke tried to put her down. Lorelai was so close to pleading with Rory to let her put her down that it was ridiculous. _

_It was as if Luke could hear this and stepped in, with his best fatherly scorning voice he did the smallest thing but it gave the perfect reaction, the one he had been hoping for. All he did was say, "Rory!" Rory seemed to get the point and immediately let her legs fall and then let go of Lorelai's neck when they were firmly planted. Rory looked up at Luke apologetically. He simply smiled and opened his arms for a hug, Luke had instantly felt bad at the look on her poor face. Rory ran up smiling and laughing, straight into his arms. _

_Luke reluctantly pulled back and then pointed back to Lorelai and with that simple sign Rory walked back over to her and hugged her mums legs._

_All went well, mostly polite but it also had its ups and downs when Straub occasionally took a jab at Lorelai's young age or the way that she and Rory lived. The night was simply planned, drinks, dinner and desert. At least that's how Lorelai thought it would be, simple, it was except for the fact that Rory wouldn't go anywhere near anyone but Luke and herself. Rory quite happily ran around and would follow the others but seemed to make sure she was at least two meters between them at all times. When it had almost reached the end of the night she seemed to let her guard down and walked a little closer to Emily as she showed her Lorelai's old room and the nursery that they had made for her. As they entered the nursery Rory spotted a pale blue, caramel and cream __coloured__ bear. Her eyes locked on it and she was off, she ran straight to the cot that held it and she immediately tried to climb in to get to it. When all attempts failed she turned to Emily and said the first words she had said all night, "Please can you help me Gra-ma." Rory topped it off with the pout she had learnt from her mum. _

_When Emily saw that pout it took her back and she was standing in her own daughters room, telling her that she couldn't do this or couldn't do that. She snapped into action mode and walked over to where Rory was standing and reached into the cot and pulled it out. When Rory had it held firmly in her hands she started hugging it. When she looked up she knew that if her mum was there than she would get told off. Just like magic Lorelai was standing in the doorway, giving Rory a look as Luke walked up behind her. _

_Rory turned back around from where she had been looking at Lorelai to look at Emily and did as she knew should have done before, she said, "Thank you Gra-ma" Rory moved to hug Emily's legs but obviously Emily had a different idea and bent down, getting a firm grip on Rory's waist Emily brought her up and started to bring Rory in to her chest. All went okay until Rory's chest hit Emily's and she flipped out. _

_First of all she got this look that, she had gotten this look only once before, it was her freak out look. Luke realized it immediately, he pushed his way passed Lorelai and was standing behind Rory when she started to kick and scream, pounding her fists into Emily's chest. Luke couldn't find any way to get a hold of her without in some way hurting her or having himself get hurt so he fumbled and fidgeted, trying to find an opening or a break in the madness. _

_Rory was so deep in her freak out that she didn't even notice Luke standing behind her and did as her instincts told her to do, she screamed, "DADDY! DADDY!" Rory hollered over and over until she was seized from behind and turned around to be facing Luke's face. She cried into his shoulder as he paced the room, rocking her and shushing her._

_The other three occupants of the house came bounding up the stairs in complete panic._

"_What's wrong?" Richard asked._

"_It's okay dad, Rory just freaked, she doesn't like anyone touching her unless she says so. It's kinda been that was since the Chris incident." Lorelai assured him_

_All eyes turned on Rory as she cried out, "Daddy, don't let them hurt me."_

_All Luke did was shush her more and pace more, rubbing her back as he went. _

"_And, what, may I ask is that all about?" asked Francine as she pointed over to where Luke was with Rory._

"_That is her, post breakdown caused by your son traumatizing her." Lorelai replied bitterly._

"_No, I was here for the prior explanation but now I want to know is why on gods green earth she is calling him daddy." _

"_Well, maybe because he is her daddy." Lorelai replied with anger dripping from her tone. "Maybe it's because he was there for everything and didn't just abandon us."_

_Francine looked on at the scene in amazement__ as Luke seemed to calm Rory further. This amazement was short lived as Francine turned back to Lorelai and relayed her feelings, "Well the child needs to learn who her father is Lorelai, I knew you would be a bad mother."_

_Lorelai was now fuming, "Who do you think you are lady, I raised my daughter pretty much on my own, except for when Luke helped and she is a great kid. Ad you know what, you are right, she does need to know who her father is and she does, her father is Christopher. I thank god every day for giving me him so that he could give me her but that is simply what he did, he helped me to make her. Luke has helped me to MAKE her that person she is today. He is her Dad and all that matters is that she knows just how much we love her and she does so excuse us, and tell Chris I said 'Hi' next time you see him." _

_With this Lorelai pushed past Francine, Straub and Richard and started walking towards the door from her place upstairs. _

_Luke moved to follow but was stopped when Rory rose her head for the first time that night, only to ask a question to Emily._

"_Gra-ma, can I keep my teddy?" she asked._

_Emily nodded and picked up the teddy from where it had been dropped on the floor and handed it to Rory, "Anything you want and his name is Mocha." Emily read from the tag._

_When Lorelai, Rory and Luke were outside near his truck Lorelai turned to Lukea dn asked a question she was sure she knew the answer to, "How did you know she was going to freak?"_

"_I just knew." Luke replied._

Luke was brought out of his thoughts by more small cries and whines. He looked down to find Rory slightly jumping up towards him, he didn't know how sturdy the old cot was so him quickly scooped her up and hugged her to him.

Luke noticed shortly after that as per usual Rory was clutching Mocha with one hand while the other lay across his back. As he paced her felt her lye her head on his shoulder and he knew that all hopes of getting her to sleep right then was out of the question so he looked down at her and spoke in his husky voice, "What you wanna do baby?"

Rory looked up at him, considering things obviously and then answered as she always did, "Can I have bot-bots and watch Sleep bewty?" she stumbled. Even though she was amazingly smart she still talked like a three year old.

"Sure Baby girl." Luke replied, unable to deny her anything.

Luke quickly made her a bottle of milk and put in the Sleeping Beauty tape and then went to lye down next to her. Rory however had other plans as she climbed on his chest and lye suckling on the plastic teat of her bottle and watching the movie as she drifted off to sleep.

When Lorelai returned, the sight before her made her smile so wide it hurt her cheeks. Luke was lying on his back with one arm behind his head and the other around Rory as she slept on his chest, one hand full of Luke's flannel and the other clutched to Mocha's arm for dear life.

Lorelai ran over and grabbed the candid photo camera and quickly snapped a couple shots before she shuffled through them and settled on a cute one to hang on the reception desk of the Independence inn where she worked for roughly 10 hours a day. She knew it would draw some 'ooh's' and 'ahh's' from people who went behind there daily.

When Lorelai was finished with this she quickly changed into her pyjamas and climbed into bed with her family, she continued to think the thoughts that had been running through her head all night, 'how did Luke know she needed him' and 'why couldn't he just be Rory's father as well?'

As Lorelai pondered this it all just clicked together, he just knew. To the other question though she had no idea. She figured that it would come to her later but she just knew that he knew. It was the sign that they had a bond, Rory and him. It was a sign, it was the fourth sign. 


	5. THE FIFTH SIGN

**AN: Sorry it's short, this is just something I quickly threw together on my phone today. Ace5492 gave me the idea for this chapter. I want to take it further but I just don't seem to have it in me at the moment. I might have the sixth sign coming off of this one. Please R&R. I don't know if you like it if you don't tell me. My hit count isn't enough.**

I smiled as I watched my little girl run around the playground in Hartford. Her smile faltered every time she spotted a new piece of play equipment. Decisions, decisions. Always, without fail, she would spend all of thirty seconds observing the new discovery before turning around and once again, climbing the ladder to the slide. I turned to show my smile to Luke and he quickly returned it. Only one word could describe Luke amongst a regular setting; stoic. When he is with Rory and I though, it is a completely different story. The only word I would use is; joyful.

The birds were chirping, a breeze slightly ruffled the leaves and the sun shone down on us. As unseasonably warm as it is today, it's good.

Turning my attention back onto Rory I saw something catch her attention. Following her line of sight I finally noticed what had her so enthralled. School uniforms. High school uniforms. Their plaid skirts very softly moved with the wind, white button-up shirts had folded sleeves and navy blue blazers sat, folded over school bags. Great, just great. The last thing I wanted was for Rory to get her hopes up about going to a big school like that. No doubt could be found anywhere within me that she would get in. Our budget just wouldn't allow it. Not now, not in the future. I sighed resignedly and looked to Luke, wondering if he'd made the same discovery as Rory and myself. He hadn't. His eyes were on his hands in his lap.

I shook my head with a small chuckle and turned back to the playground, my eyes immediately searching for Rory. I spotted her, standing at the top of the ladder, small hands gripping onto the handles with everything she had, just trying to keep herself stable as she continued to watch the highschoolers. Behind Rory was a lineup of impatient kids, each voicing their annoyances to my oblivious daughter.

I stood from the bench and made my way over to her. She continued to ignore my existence. Finally I reached up and pulled her from her spot atop the plastic slope. Her slight jump didn't surprise me in the least, she was in a completely different place. As soon as she was in my arms she spun to look at me, wonder shining in her bright blue eyes.

"Mummy... Did you see that?" She asked and pointed back over to the retreating forms in blue and white.

I nodded, suppressing a laugh at the size of her eyes. "Yes sweetie, I saw it."

She looked back over my shoulder again. Searching for what wasn't there anymore. They would be home by now. The school has a very strict policy on who is allowed to attend, I should know; I didn't make the cut. You either have to be a super genius or live within a very limited radius of the campus. "Where were they from?"

"Chilton prep. It's a very big, fancy school." I told her and it looked as if she deflated. Smart is an understatement. Rory could already understand money, write and read. She knew, deep inside her that she wouldn't be going to Chilton anytime.

She looked as if she was thinking for a minute and then quickly resumed the interrogation, "is that where you went?" It must be the similarities between uniforms; they all consist of button-up shirts, plaid skirts and blazers. The only difference was the logo and the colour. Rory had seen my old uniform many times. I kept it in my closet as a reminder.

"Nope. I went to Huntley college."

"But isn't that college? What about high school?" Her curiosity was beginning to frustrate me. The endless questioning and general want for information that made up my gorgeous little girl was starting to chafe at my brain.

"No, that's just what they call some private schools. I didn't go to college, I had you remember." I tickled her stomach lightly and a loud giggle erupted from her small form. By now we had reached the bench and I sat with Rory on my lap, slightly curled into my torso, relaxing after a big day of play.

"What about you, Daddy?" Rory inquired as she looked up at Luke.

Finally, Luke looked up from his hands and paid attention to what was going on around him, his attention snapping to Rory immediately. "Hmm?"

"What big school did you go to?"

He looked at me, silently asking what 'big school' meant. "High school." I whispered over her head.

After nodding in understanding he looked down at Rory, "I went to Stars Hollow high."

"Really?" She looked stunned. This surprised me as we'd only ever know Luke in Stars Hollow. I thought she would have gathered that he went to SHHS.

With a glance at me Luke shrugged his shoulders and muttered out, "Really. I went to Primary school there too. And I didn't go to college."

"Why not? Did you have a baby too?" For Rory it must be incomprehensible for somebody not to go to college. That is, unless they were in the exact same circumstances as myself.

Luke let out a whole hearted laugh and then finally looked back down to Rory. "No, but I did meet you pretty soon after you were born." A huge smile lit Rory's face and she climbed from my lap, into Lukes. "And I'm sure glad I did." She curled into his side and hugged him with everything in her.

"I'm gonna go to college." She finally declared.

"Really?" I teased.

"Yeah." She said firmly. "I'm gonna go to college after I go to the Chilton big school."

**R&R please. Xx banana flavored lemonade.**


	6. THE SIXTH SIGN

**Okay… here we go. The sixth sign, completed at 12:56am. I am so tired right now but when I make a promise, I stick to it… so here is my promised chapter to you PuppiesRCute. You can all thank her for the idea behind this chapter too. **

**Ps. I would probably be uploading this a lot earlier but I got sidetracked trying to find the actual reference, and then I may have watched a couple of episodes.**

**Enjoy.. I know I enjoyed writing it. :D and keep following me everyone because it does pay off… that's the whole reason this chapter came into being.**

THE SIXTH SIGN

"Daddy NO!" Rory screeched playfully as Luke threw her in the air and let her fall into the water, quickly surfacing due to her pfd. They had over compensated for her lack of swimming skills. Covering Rory's small body was a floating ring, floaties, and a pfd. Apart from the fact that Rory could hardly move, the floatation devices had only positive sides. Luke could throw her around as much as his heart desired because there was no chance of her drowning-this did nothing to quell Lorelai's nerves each time her daughter was flung into the air, only to land with a big splash.

Luke let out a throaty chuckle and grabbed Rory around the waist and hoisted her into the air, dangling her over his head and shaking her so that she giggled manically. "no, really?" Luke asked while shaking her around more.

"YES!" Rory yelled through her laughter.

Luke eased her back down into his arms and squeezed her against his chest. "oh, yes? You want me to do it again now?" Rory squealed and kicked her legs as much as she could, trying to get out of Luke's arms.

Rory's efforts were futile and her laughter only grew as Luke spun them both around in the water, spraying water everywhere and wetting Lorelai. "Dada NO!" Rory squeaked out through her crazy scramble to grab Luke anywhere possible. It was proving to be difficult as she'd usually grab his shirt but he wasn't wearing one, Luke was only wearing a pair of blue board shorts that would bring out his eyes if his chest weren't in the way.

Rory was dressed in a one piece bathing suit that was bright pink with a white and pink polka-dot skirt and she had a rash vest over the top which was white with short pink sleeves and a purple owl on her chest. Lorelai was lounging by the edge of the pool in her two piece blue bikini with a white sarong wrapped around her long legs.

Luke once again looked as if he was going to throw Rory in the air but faked and brought her back down against him and squatted down in the water and pushed rory away from his body, watching the little girl float across the water, pigtails bouncing around in two ringlets.

As Lorelai looked on to Rory bopping happily in the water she was cast back to when Luke and herself had to carry Rory across any amount of water smaller than a drop. After thinking of this she got caught up in thoughts of Rory's first bath.

"_I am so sorry." She cried as Rory screamed. She'd tested the water, it wasn't too hot or too cold so what was she doing wrong? The nurse was standing there, judging Lorelai. She could see it in her eyes, she was thinking about how Lorelai was too young to handle a baby. All Lorelai was thinking about was the fact that her baby was screaming and she didn't know why. She had done everything the nurse had told her to. She held Rory's head and only swished small amounts of water onto her tiny body. _

_Rory continued to scream and Lorelai gave up. She didn't care about the look she got from the nurse, she whisked Rory out of the bath and clung to her baby. No more. No more crying until she knew what was wrong. "You need to wash her miss." Came the nurses voice._

"_no." Lorelai said through her own tears as she held Rory's tiny body, wrapped in a pink towel, to her body. Lorelai shifted Rory until she was laying down in her mother's arms. Rory still cried and Lorelai looked down at her completely lost on what to do. _

"_Miss, you can't leave her as she is. You need to wash her properly or she could become ill." The nurse sounded so patronizing and Lorelai ground her teeth. Didn't the insipid woman understand that it hurt to hear her baby so upset? It was torture to have Rory so upset when she didn't know how to make it better. Lorelai looked up through her wet lashes and the nurse seemed to get it, or at least fake getting it well. "Would you like me to do it?"_

_Lorelai nodded meekly and slowly handed over her baby to the woman. As soon as Rory was freed from the towel and placed in the water she began to scream. "I…uh…I need to leave the room… is that okay?" Lorelai asked the nurse._

_After a moment of thought the nurse smiled warmly at the teen and nodded._

"Mama!" Rory squealed and tried to swim over to the edge, away from Luke's persistent playfulness. It was futile though as Luke had a hold of Rory's skirt underwater. After a moment of serious effort of Rory's part, the little girl got restless and her bottom lip started to quiver. "mama, dada no!"

Lorelai shot Luke a look and her boosted Rory across the water and right to Lorelai's waiting hands. Lorelai reached down and held her gorgeous daughters hands as she bounced in the water. "so?" Lorelai smiled down at Rory. "You like the water now sweets?"

"yes. Is fun." Rory proclaimed and freed a hand to splash the water.

This was a completely different Rory from the one that had been screaming and crying just weeks ago. As Lorelai went back into her thoughts Rory clearly got bored of sitting still and paddled her was back over to Luke.

_A two and a half year old Rory screamed in fear as she spotted the puddle coming up. Spinning around, she tried to climb up Lorelai. It was getting ridiculous. It was winter and Rory's unique phobia __**(thanks PuppiesRCute)**__ was making it take at least twice the amount of time to get anywhere. Picking her daughter up and holding her on her hip, Lorelai continued on her path to Lukes. As they were walking down the street, almost at Luke's a drop, one singular drop of water fell from the gutter of the florist and fell on Rory's forehead and did that set her off, oh boy. The little girl began to scream and cry at once, burying her head in Lorelai's neck and clinging as if someone was trying to wrench her away. "Shhh.." Lorelai soothed annoyed._

_They finally reached Lukes and before entering Lorelai beckoned Luke outside, worried about taking her wailing daughter inside the establishment and causing a ruckus. Luke exited as soon as he saw Rory's face buried and Lorelai slightly bopping around to calm her daughter. "Hey, what's wrong?" Luke asked as he exited the diner and came to stand behind Rory, rubbing her back. _

"_we had a minor incident with a puddle and a drop of water from a gutter." Lorelai mumbled._

"_Aw, c'mere Ror." Luke said and pulled Rory from Lorelai's arms. One strong hand went under Rory's bum to support her and the other rubbed at her back while Luke swayed and shushed her. Slowly Luke pulled Rory from his body as she continued to wail. It had been at least twenty minutes of shushing, swaying and rubbing and she had not calmed in the least. It was time to take some more aggressive action. "Rory. Stop!" Luke said forcefully. Rory stopped in shock for a moment and then cried harder and tried to climb out of his arms. Luke didn't let her, walking a step further away from Lorelai and forcefully turning Rory back to look at him, "Rory, water is not scary. You need to calm down. This isn't needed." _

_Lorelai wanted to intervene but didn't as Rory hiccupped and calmed after Luke's exclamation. Rory looked at him with wide, tear filled, blue eyes. "Is scary." She mumbled and fell into Luke's shoulder. _

_Luke kissed her hair and spoke to her gently, "No, Rory. It can't hurt you okay. Nothing can hurt you when mummy or me are there. Okay?" he said. _

"_Okay" Rory answered feebly. _

Lorelai came back to from her memory and gasped as she saw Rory only clad in her bathers. "Luke, be careful." She called over to him. Luke looked up from dragging Rory across the water to Lorelai's fearful eyes. A glint came across Luke's eyes and he pulled Rory up so that she was next to him. He whispered into her ear and she waved at Lorelai with her right hand, left still held in Lukes.

Then she watched as Rory's little cheeks puffed up and Luke let go of her left hand to wave at Lorelai. Rory plunged under the water and Lorelai jumped up, clearly about to jump in the water. Luke laughed and reached under the water and pulling Rory up. The cheeky little girl grinned at Lorelai while clapping and laughing. Lorelai scowled at the two of them cheekily looking at her. "Mummy is very upset with you." Lorelai proclaimed angrily and both Rory and Luke began to look guilty. It was scary. Scary just like when Luke had insisted that he could get Lorelai over her fear of water.

"_Lorelai, I can do this." Luke proclaimed as he held Lorelai's shoulders firmly. She was nervous. Luke had decided that the only way to get Rory over ther phobia of water was to push her, to make her do it and Lorelai didn't know if she agred with him._

_Lorelai's lip should have been bleeding with how much she was chewing it. "What if she gets more scared. I don't think I could handle it." Lorelai said shakily. What if? Was all that was running around her mind. What if Rory got worse? What if Rory grew to resent Luke? What if Rory got hurt? What if Rory blamed her?_

_With one last sigh Luke came up with a solution, "You go to the diner and have a cup of coffee. When we're done we'll come and get you. That way you don't have to deal with hearing her cry or whatever's going to happen. We just needa deal with this." Lorelai nodded resignedly and went over to where Rory was playing on the floor. Her gorgeous three year old girl with bright blue eyes, curly brown hair and the most frustrating fear ever. _

_Lorelai knelt down to Rory's level and pulled the rag doll out of her little hands, "Okay sweets, Mummy just has to run out to the shops for a minute but you're going to stay here with Daddy, alright?" Rory simply nodded and went back to playing. As Lorelai made her exit, she whispered in Luke's ear, "you be careful with my baby." And left._

_As soon as Lorelai was out of the house, Luke went over to the walmart bag and pulled out a pink raincoat with a hood and some colourful birds on it, a pair of pink gumboots, and a set of pale pink gloves. They were all in Rory's size. Going to kneel in front of Rory, Luke held up the new items and Rory smiled, realizing that they were a present for her. "Mine?" she asked Luke._

_Luke grinned and nodded but pulled the items out of her reach as Rory lunged at them. "Yes, they are yours but you need to wear them outside." Luke said and Rory looked mildly put off but nodded anyhow, standing and pulling off her green converses. As she padded over to the front door, she realized that it was raining but figured if she stayed on the porch then she wouldn't get wet. _

_Opening the door and walking onto the porch in her socks, pale blue jeans, lime-green jumper and pink beanie, turned to Luke and held her hands out. Luke slipped the gloves on her small hands, the raincoat over her arms and the gumboots on her sock-clad feet, covering her jeans up to her knee. Finally Luke pulled the hood over her beanie and grabbed her hand, dragging her to the porch steps. As soon as Rory realized where this was going she started to fight back, pulling as hard as she could against Luke's hand. _

_Her efforts were fruitless as Luke tired of the game, picked her up and carried her over to the grass. As he tried to set her down, she clung to him more and tucked her legs up. She would NOT touch the wet grass. Eventually Luke tired of this aspect too and pried her off of his body, not caring at all about the screams she was emitting or the tears covering her face. As her feet hit the ground she tried more desperately to climb Luke who was holding her on the grass. "Rory, it is NOT that bad. Stop this NOW!" Luke hollered and Rory stilled, her tears still silently coming down her cheeks. "Look." Luke said, pointing to where Rory's feet were planted on the ground. _

_Rory looked down and then back at Luke. "You aren't getting wet so stop with this crying. The water isn't hurting you." Rory looked back down and slowly lifted her foot, planting it back down and smiling at the squelching noise it made. "see, fun." Luke proclaimed as Rory started to do it with both feet. After ten minutes of squelching her feet around in the sopping wet grass, Rory grabbed onto Luke's arms and started to jump around._

_With a grin Luke got a new idea in his head. "Hey Ror, wanna go see Mummy and do something REAL fun?" Rory nodded enthusiastically and grabbed more firmly onto Luke's hand as they began to walk to the diner. On the walk Luke was scanning the ground, looking for the perfect opportunity to teach Rory. It soon came. _

_In front of 'the Chat Club' there it was, the perfect puddle. Luke grinned and lead Rory over to it. At first she looked hesitant to follow but did anyway. Once they were over there, next to the puddle, Luke stopped and knelt down again. "You wanna jump in the puddle?" he asked excitedly, mostly for Rory's benefit. The little girl nodded enthusiastically and Luke egged her on. After a second more of thought Rory leaped into the puddle, sending sprays of water in all directions. _

_After another couple of jumps in that puddle they continued on to the diner, jumping in every puddle they came across on the way. After collection Lorelai, they made their way back to the crapshack, Rory jumping in puddles along the way. Lorelai couldn't be happier to see that phase go. _

After her memory ended, Lorelai realized that Rory was tiredly leaning on Luke as he slowly made his way to the edge of the pool. After emerging from the water, Rory still in his arms, he pulled the pink, hooded, butterfly towel over Rory's head and tightly wrapped it around her small form. After donning his own towel, he picked up the sleepy girl and gestured for Lorelai to come along. They left the swimming centre after buying hot chips for the tired Rory and a hotdog for the 'starving' Lorelai- really she'd already eaten twice while they had been there.

It had been good to see her little girl enjoying the water so much, and even more to see her enjoying it with Luke. She had a feeling that swimming lessons would be in their futures. It was also a feeling of hers that Luke would allow nobody else to teach her to swim, that he would do it himself. And quite frankly they were feeling that she didn't mind because Luke had done everything for them, why shouldn't she do something for him.

**Okay so please R&R. I love the reviews. Also make suggestions on what you want to see happen next. Thanks.**

**Xx Banana Flavored Lemonade (bec)**


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